Sunday Toy Chest: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Action Figures

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Welcome to a brand new weekly feature here on Nerdist! Collecting action figures is reaching peak mainstream levels, and we want to shine a light on some of our favorite toys, from the rarities to ones that are widely available. Where once collectors young and old would have to search specialty stores or comic shops — or navigate various online outlets — for their outside-the-mainstream action figures, now places like Target and even Walmart are rolling out space on their shelves for FUNKO Legacy, Pop!, and Vinyl Idolz figures, among other brands.

The proliferation of specialty figures into big-box stores means that demand is growing for the action figure market, and the assortment of available figures are coming from film and television properties that are outside the typically available fare. Where once action movies, cartoons, and animated movies reigned supreme in toy aisles, widespread online shopping has allowed more and more folks to get their collecting-fix from more varied source materials, like sitcoms, sketch shows, and dramas. And that’s exactly how we got our hands on this week’s featured figures: the Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Weekend Update Two-Pack.

BifBangPow produced the Saturday Night Live-inspired figures, which were debuted as ComicCon 2015 exclusives at the Entertainment Earth booth. The set has now entered into wide-release, so you can order your own dynamic lady duo from Entertainment Earth or the NBCUniversal online shop. The extended availability does not mean you can rest on your laurels if you’d like to grab your own, however, as the units are still limited to just 2,400 pieces. (We snagged set #350!) The Amy and Tina figures each have six points of articulation, and the box includes a fold-out diorama of the Weekend Update set. (Note: your purchase may include the newer blue background foldout for Weekend Update, as opposed to the one depicted in this post.)

As you can see above, the quality of the molds are relatively good for the figures’ small size. The 3.5″ scale leaves little room for error, but the likenesses are more than recognizable. Particularly on the Amy Poehler figure, the face is instantly recognizable. Even the paint job on each figure is well done, with only minor inconsistencies around the hairlines and apparel cuffs. BifBangPow is a fairly new collectibles manufacturer, so they don’t have the resources and reach that a company like Hasbro would. Nonetheless, the figures feel very solid in the hand, and the articulation joints are more than sturdy enough to withstand plenty of bending should you manage to find and use miniature office chairs in your imaginary “Weekend Update” sessions. Conveniently, the included foldout set includes a desk which stands high enough that the two can stand fully upright behind it while appearing at the familiar sitting height.

IMHO, the best part about the sculpt for the Amy Poehler figure is how closely her Weekend Update garb resembles Leslie Knope’s (of Parks and Recreation) default wardrobe choice of a crisp pantsuit. I’m not actively suggesting you take the Amy figure outside, dig a hole in the dirt, and recreate the hilarious “Leslie falls in the pit” scene, but if you wanted to do so of your own accord, by all means have at it! Tina’s figure isn’t quite as close to her 30 Rock character Liz Lemon, because though she often wore blazers, they were almost never buttoned and were typically paired with denim. Either way, for now, these are the closest plastic doppelgängers a person has for adding a little bit of 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation to their shelves, desks, or toy boxes. Check out the gallery below for more shots of the pair utilizing the included Weekend Update foldout set!

Toy News Round-Up

Here are some of the best bits of collectible figure news from the last few weeks!

A Seattle-based mother of two named Alice Finch spent a year creating a LEGO minifig-scale version of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. She used 400,000 bricks in the process and won awards for working her LEGO magic.

Disney Infinity 3.0 is bringing tons of Star Wars characters to the interactive platform. Leia, Han, Darths Vader and Maul, and loads more characters from far, far away will be available later this month.

Tina and Amy weren’t the only two ladies who were introduced with exclusive fanfare at ComicCon 2015: Barbara Gordon, Batgirl herself, was featured as a Toys’R’Us exclusive, suited in her classic 1960’s Batman series costume.

There’s a $50 drone available for purchase, and it’s roughly the size of large Oreo. There are less expensive versions of the same idea available but this Skeye Nano Drone is elegant and tiny and s’cuuute!

Will you be picking up your own Tiny Tina & Amy? Maybe make a cardboard Golden Globes set for them? Let us know! If you do create your own sets for them, we’d love to see pictures and possibly share the best, so tweet us with your best creations!